Ionene polymers or polymeric quaternary ammonium compounds (polyquats), i.e., cationic polymers containing quaternary nitrogens in the polymer backbone, belong to a well-known class of biologically-active compounds. See, e.g., A. Rembaum, Biological Activity of Ionene Polymers, Applied Polymer Symposium No. 22, 299-317 (1973). Ionene polymers have a variety of uses in aqueous systems such as microbicides, bactericides, algicides, sanitizers, and disinfectants. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,778,476, 3,874,870, 3,898,336, 3,931,319, 4,013,507, 4,027,020, 4,089,977, 4,111,679, 4,506,081, 4,581,058, 4,778,813, 4,970,211, 5,051,124, and 5,093,078 give various examples of these polymers, their preparation, and their uses. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,778,476, 3,898,536, and 4,960,590, in particular, describe insoluble tri-halide containing ionene polymers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,507 describes ionene polymers which selectively inhibit the growth of malignant cells in vitro.
Cationic polymers in general, and quaternary ammonium ionene polymers in particular, have been shown to interact strongly with and attach themselves to surfaces, particularly polar surfaces. Most surfaces are, in general, anionic in nature. These electrostatic interactions are considered to be a basis for many uses of cationic polymers. For example, cationic polymers are very effective flocculating agents. The biocidal properties of ionene polymers are also believed to arise from, or to be enhanced by, electrostatic interactions between the cationic backbone of the ionene polymer and the surface of the biological substrate being treated by the ionene polymer.
A large number of relatively simple low molecular weight, monomeric organic and inorganic compounds are known and used for their biologically-active characteristics. The biologically-active compounds include, but are not limited to, pesticides, microbicides surfactants, sizing agents, plant growth regulators, fertilizers, disinfectants, fluorescence agents, preservatives and pharmaceuticals. Such compounds occur in all classes of compounds, e,g., as organic or inorganic acids, esters, amines, anhydrides or alcohols.
Though generally effective for their intended purpose, many biologically-active compounds suffer from one or more deficiencies which can prevent a particular compound from achieving its full activity. For example, in uses calling for application to a substrate, such as in the case of herbicides, the biologically-active compound may not always optimally adhere to the surface of the leaf or stem of the treated plant. The applied herbicide, therefore, may lose a measure of effectiveness due to run off during application. In other uses, the compound may be available only for immediate effect but no residual activity remains.
In accordance with this invention, the effectiveness of such biologically-active compounds can be improved by incorporating those compounds, as anions, into an ionene polymer. The anions are, therefore, integral components of the ionene polymer structure. Likewise, incorporating such biologically-active anions into the ionene polymer can also improve the ionene polymer's biological effectiveness.